Cane Toads!

The Intersection
By Sheril Kirshenbaum
May 5, 2008 6:16 PMNov 5, 2019 10:22 AM

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While I love Randy Olson's 'Flock Of Dodos', one science documentary remains the most memorable of all... 'Cane Toads: An Unnatural History'. I had the pleasure of watching this fantastic film once again with a number of graduate students last week and I'm convinced it gets better every time. If you somehow missed out catching it during biology 101, the product description from Amazon.com provides a good synopsis:

"A fat, ugly creature whose sole purpose in life is the pursuit of sexual gratification is rapidly taking over Australia! The Cane Toads were imported by the sackload from Hawaii to Australia in 1935 in an attempt to rid the country of the Greyback beetle, which was rapidly destroying their sugarcane crop. The Cane Toads adapted beautifully to their new surroundings. Problem was, the beetle could fly and the Cane Toad couldn't. What the Cane Toad is unusually good at, however, is making more Cane Toads--thousands upon thousands more. If Monty Python produced a National Geographic Special, it would be Cane Toads!"

Here's a preview: If you haven't seen 'Cane Toads', go rent it. This delightful documentary is one you're sure to remember and enjoy for years to come!

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